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Montgomery 'pill mill' bust nets more arrests on Atlanta Highway

There is an opioid crisis happening in the U.S. As more and more women of childbearing age struggle with opioid addiction, more and more children are born dependent on opiates. The national rate of American children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome has quadrupled over the past 15 years. And in some parts of the country the rates have gone up to eight times the national average. One a baby is born, it comes out of the womb, shaking, clawing around and screaming from the obvious pain it is in.

Three clerical workers were arrested this week in connection to an Atlanta Highway medical clinic bust that has already netted five other arrests.

Four employees were arrested in November 2017 for their roles in the Atlanta Highway Family Practice clinic that federal prosecutors say was operating as a "pill mill." The clinic's owner, Dr. Gilberto Sanchez, pleaded guilty the same month to drug distribution, health care fraud and money laundering charges.

Fannin, 41, is alleged to have helped Sanchez launder money made by "illegal drug distribution, according to a Department of Justice release. The Tallassee resident faces up to 20 years imprisonment.

Both Brownfield and Kumar worked in Family Practice's billing department and are accused of committing health care fraud through overbilling patients. The fraud charge could carry up to a decade in prison.

On Monday, a former nurse practitioner at Family Practice pleaded guilty to drug distribution conspiracy and health care fraud charges.

Steven Cox was one of three nurse practitioners arrested in November 2017, along with a Homewood-based physician.

"Cox’s role in the scheme was to see patients originally prescribed unnecessary controlled substances by Sanchez and to give those patients refills on their prescriptions," a DOJ release states. "Cox did so knowing that the patients did not actually need the medicine he was prescribing to them. Cox also helped Sanchez to fraudulently bill health insurance companies for the time he spent seeing the patients."

Sanchez was arrested in August 2017 at his Atlanta Highway clinic.

Gilberto Sanchez was indicted in conducting a "pill mill" and was arrested in August 2017.(Photo: Contributed)

Sanchez would have patients come in for unnecessary monthly examinations before they could refill their prescriptions, charging those visits to both public — including Medicare and Medicaid — and private insurance companies. Sanchez bought at least one vehicle and personal residence with the money he made from the operation.